While a certain amount of money is necessary for better health – broccoli and salmon are a lot more expensive than Kraft Dinner – for shift workers, financial success is of even greater importance.
The main theme of HealthShift is that shift workers aren’t predestined to suffer poor health and an early death – there is much we can do to safeguard ourselves. Still, the safest option is to limit our time spent working the night shift.
The sure path is to improve your finances. Whether you move to a lesser paying day shift job, strike out on your own, or retire altogether, better finances will make such a transition easier.
Of course, improving finances is easier said than done. So create a situation that demands it.
Becoming financially successful requires producing better results without consciously thinking about it.
One such strategy is literally automating a certain amount of money that goes from your bank account into an investment account, weekly. It doesn’t matter the amount you start with. Here’s what will happen, though:
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- Because that money will not actually sit in your bank account, you’ll pretend in your mind it doesn’t exist
- Your income will adapt to whatever amount you set
- You’ll adjust your expenses
- Over time, you’ll have invested a huge amount, which you would have spent in less effective ways
The #1 Strategy For Becoming Financially Wealthy | Benjamin Hardy
Lonely is the Night
Shift work leaves us with less opportunity for social interaction. And strong relationships are critical to both physical and mental health. Thankfully for us, when it comes to relationships, quality is more important than quantity.
Socialization isn’t the only or best way to overcome loneliness. If you feel burnout from socializing too often, you aren’t going to feel less lonely by doing more of it. Combating loneliness is more about feeling heard and validated, rather than the number of people you’re with.
Why Loneliness is About A Lack of Quality Not Quantity – And How You Can Fix it | Greatist
Anger management
You probably don’t need anyone to tell you that you’re more irritable when you don’t get enough sleep. But in case you want some science to back it up, here are the results of a somewhat cruel study published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Participants were randomly assigned either to maintain their regular sleep schedule or to restrict their sleep at home by about five hours across two nights. Following this manipulation, anger was assessed during exposure to irritating noise.
The experiment found that well-slept individuals adapted to noise and reported less anger after two days. In contrast, sleep-restricted individuals exhibited higher and increased anger in response to aversive noise, suggesting that losing sleep undermined emotional adaptation to frustrating circumstance.
Imagine that.
Study finds that sleep restriction amplifies anger | Science Daily
Wake me up when inertia ends
Naps are a great way to reduce fatigue and boost performance. But they can also produce sleep inertia; a period of grogginess immediately following the nap. This grogginess typically lasts about thirty minutes, but can last up to an hour. That’s not good if this period requires anything cognitively demanding.
One way to combat sleep inertia is with a “caffeine nap”. Down a cup of coffee, and then set an alarm to wake you up a short time later, when the caffeine takes full effect.
Although “caffeine naps” are nothing new – Tim Ferriss blogged about this practice in 2008 – it wasn’t clear if they could benefit night shift workers. A new study out of the University of South Australia aims to answer this question.
The small pilot study tested the impact of 200 mg of caffeine (equivalent to 1-2 regular cups of coffee) consumed by participants just before a 3.30am 30-minute nap, comparing results with a group that took a placebo.
Participants taking a ‘caffeine-nap’ showed marked improvements in both performance and alertness, indicating the potential of a ‘caffeine-nap’ to counteract sleep grogginess.
Though you’ll want to keep the timing of your nap in mind so you don’t ruin the coming sleep. Caffeine can disrupt sleep even when consumed six hours prior.
A Coffee and Catnap Keep You Sharp on the Nightshift | Neuroscience News
Longevity training
While any type of exercise will go a long way towards promoting health and longevity, it may be best to combine two different strategies. Try alternating between fast-twitch exercises (power lifting or high intensity interval training) and slow-twitch exercises (long-distance jogging, walking or swimming) for maximum benefit.
Two Fitness Tips To Promote Longevity, From An Exercise Physiologist | mindbodygreen
Stay healthy-
Jason Glenn